Month: July 2024
Archer: the Next Great Gay Dating App
Grindr Hires Daschle Group for Lobbying on HIV Prevention and IVF
STAT – Grindr has engaged The Daschle Group to lobby on HIV prevention and LGBTQ+ family formation challenges, including surrogacy and IVF. This move comes amid legislative debates over reproductive healthcare access. The Daschle Group, founded by former Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle, will focus on issues like PrEP access and IVF legislation. This represents Grindr's first significant foray into lobbying, highlighting its commitment to supporting the LGBTQ+ community's health and family planning needs.
by Nicholas Florko & Sarah Owermohle
See full article at Stat
Hickey App Upgrades ‘Fun Moments’ With Video Feature
PRESS RELEASE – Hickey, the dating app known for fostering meaningful connections, has upgraded its "Fun Moments" feature to include video clips, allowing users to share real-time experiences more dynamically. The app ensures privacy with self-destructing media and prohibits screenshots. The addition of video aims to create deeper connections and has been well-received by users. Hickey claims 1M users in North America and Europe.
Dating Apps in India: a Danger for Women
After Modi came to power in 2014, he rolled out the red carpet for tech giants, including Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge. Created by and for Americans, they saw a promising market in India: half of the most populous country in the world is under 25 years old and has the fastest growth rate of mobile users. They landed with American products without adapting them to a very complex social fabric, an ancient caste system and patriarchy, and a long history of suppression of women's rights. India is the most dangerous country in the world to be a woman. With the arrival of Modi and these apps, the situation has worsened. Women feel unprotected by the law and authorities. India has the largest gender imbalance in the world: there are more than 63 million 'extra' men.
Match Group entered India in 2014 with Tinder, then Hinge in 2015. Bumble arrived in 2017. When it came to adapting their products to India, all the companies failed.
In early 2014, Jess Carbino, earned her PhD in Psychology & Sociology from UCLA, and became a Sociologist for Tinder. Carbino's 3-person team had the mission to soak up the political and social context of the countries to which the group planned to expand. Sometimes, they traveled to the place. This was not the case in India. The report they prepared for this country included references to the diversity of religions and languages, the caste hierarchy, the high rate of violence against women, and the prevalence of arranged marriages – 90% of weddings in India are agreed between families. "We were fully aware that a disruption was occurring," says Carbino. "And we knew that as the next generations were less corseted by their parents, we could create change."
Hrithik Bhandari was 19 years old when, in 2018, Tinder made him a "campus ambassador" at the National Institute of Technology in Jodhpur. In return, he got a subscription and occasional invitations to events. He walked around with a Tinder t-shirt, giving away merchandise and convincing his mates to join him.
The proof that Match Group was aware of the abuse problems in India is the 'Let's talk about consent' campaign from 2021. A short film showed a young couple. She breaks up because he forces her to have sex when she doesn't want to.
"With a popular culture that has blurred the boundaries of consent for generations, and a society that doesn't recognize the importance of discussing boundaries, modern dating is complex for the country's young people," reads the statement that accompanied the presentation of the film. Campaigns on social networks in 2014 challenged women, portraying them as independent and free young people, but their 'target' had become the men who did not respect them.
Only 1 in 4 crimes against women [in India] end in a conviction, and 95% of the reported cases are still pending processing, according to the latest report of the National Crime Records Bureau of India.
The biggest pending task for apps is identity verification, which is limited to contrasting a 'selfie' with profile photos. Criminal record and sexual & violent crimes checks are still pending.
The Indian Penal Code considers any sexual relationship without consent a rape, a serious crime. The problem is the definition of consent: being in the same room as the aggressor is often equated with giving permission to be intimate. People Against Rape in India helps survivors take their cases to court. "Society, even the authorities, do not feel sorry for the victim," says its founder, Yogita Bhayana.
by Irene Benedicto
See full article at El Periodico
Mark Brooks: Here is another excellent video by Tinder India on boundaries and permission, with 1.6m views. And another with 1.3M views. I think the underpinnings of any great loving relationship are honesty, respect, and communication. But how on earth do we train this and navigate all the cultural, religious, and psychological complexity? Is it really our irresponsibility? This article raises more questions than answers. It made me realize that perhaps we need a place for more open (yet private) discussion as an industry. Please email me your thoughts at mark@courtlandbrooks.com.
See the top news on Tinder See the top news on Hinge
See the top news on Match Group See the top news on Bumble
CMO of the Week: Tinder’s Melissa Hobley
Match Group’s Q2 Revenue Growth and Tinder Concerns
MARKET WATCH – Match Group is expected to report Q2 of $856.5M, up from $829.6M last year. Earnings are projected to remain at 48c per share, with net income slightly increasing to $138.3M. Despite these positive forecasts, concerns persist about declining paying users on Tinder. Activist investor Starboard Value has acquired a significant stake in Match, urging improvements at Tinder and suggesting the company consider going private if changes aren't effective.
Teaching Dating Skills in India
EL PERIODICO – "Everyone fibs on dating apps: men say they want to get married and women say they don't," says Mark Brooks, a well-known dating [industry] guru. With his team of 26 experts, he has advised 100+ companies in the sector on both sides of the ocean although he met his wife the old-fashioned way, through a friend of a friend. There's a lack of sexual education [in India]. Mumbai-based psychologist Tanya Nagpal is critical of the burgeoning dating coach industry. "The premise is how to get a woman, but not how to really behave in a relationship with that woman," she states. "Dating apps make it much easier for men to find prey, sexual predators," she explains. Men [in India] have a hard time navigating the disruption [dating] apps have caused. Millennials are the first generation to date in India. That's why, she argues, they need education. Educating men will prevent new rapists from growing up.
Niche Dating Apps Thrive as Mainstream Rivals Struggle
FINANCIAL TIMES – Targeted dating apps are gaining traction as mainstream rivals like Tinder and Bumble face user declines. Apps like Grindr and Feeld attract specific communities, such as gay men and those interested in non-monogamy. Grindr's shares have doubled in 2023, contrasting with declining shares of Match Group and Bumble. Feeld has seen a 10% increase in users exploring open relationships and polyamory. These niche apps benefit from a deep understanding of their communities, leading to higher user loyalty and monetization opportunities. Match Group is shifting focus to niche products like Archer, for gay and bisexual men, and other demographically tailored apps to offset declines in mainstream platforms.
Podcast: Match Group’s Latest Apps and Cultural Shifts in Dating
